Biz Bits: Krispy Kreme is coming back to Chico ... at same location

What wildly popular national business opened in Chico in 2003, closed a few years later and looks like it will reopen in the same spot?

If you guessed KRISPY KREME, you're right.

The small building at the end of Business Lane and next to In-N-Out has been vacant since it was built, occupied by Krispy Kreme, and closed.

But a Krispy Kreme will be settling there, likely early next year.

A Lakewood-based business that owns nine reopened and newly built stores in Northern California, Arizona and New Mexico is behind the Chico one.

The building is actually owned by In-N-Out Burger, which will be moving ahead with renovations, reinstalling equipment and making interior structural repairs.

PAUL TANNER owns the franchise for the Chico store, and has a different business model than has been used before.

Tanner tells me that he's particularly concerned about the delivery system guaranteeing the product's quality and freshness, which didn't particularly come through "in grocery stores and gas stations."

So, the Chico store will be a production facility, making and selling doughnuts. Then another handful of stores within a 20- to 30-minute drive will be established that only sell warm, fresh doughnuts made at the Chico store.

Tanner said he will be concentrating on getting the Chico store running before pinning down those other locations.

From what I've heard out in the community, I don't think there will be any problem in getting the next-generation Krispy Kreme running.

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Chico State University career guy KEN NAAS is always good about sharing job fair information, which is a boon to the area because those events are open to the public.

There's one coming up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at Bell Memorial Union hall on campus. There is no charge for job seekers.

There will be more than 80 employers at the fair, which is up from what's been the norm — about half that, Naas said.

There was a small lament from Naas, who said he didn't have a lot of local employers, which is a shame. Here are some locals that will be there: Matson & Isom Technology Consulting, Videomaker, Mary's Gone Crackers, Butte County Human Resources, Novasyte, Auctiva, Rape Crisis, Wanderful Media and Landacorp.

This is a great opportunity for employers to pick from this emerging job pool at the university, and another great opportunity for those looking for work.

More about the job fair is available from Naas at 898-5253.

As a gauge, Naas said that heyday numbers for his job fairs are about 100 employers.

However, Naas did note that this will be the first time that Yelp is participating, which is a great indicator for Chico State's reputation.

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As long as we're talking about job fairs, I stumbled upon one that sounds fun.

MT. SHASTA SKI PARK is looking for its winter crew. The job fair is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10 in the upper lodge.

There's a list of available jobs at www.skipark.com or information is available from the corporate office, 926-8600.

I don't know if the new round of storms means the snow park will open sooner, but on Wednesday, there was four inches of snow over a 24-hour period.

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If you haven't checked out the new look of CHICO MALL, stop by.

From new paint and new seating, new food court to a new kids' play area and new lighting, the whole place looks new again.

JONES LANG LASALLE made a big investment in the renovation of the "new mall," which opened way back in 1988.

While the company wouldn't share how much it actually spent, it was substantial and it shows.

That kind of project shows some confidence in the economy, and that alone is good for a region that has had a paucity of good economic news.